Can we help with your concern?
Who can raise a concern
Anyone can raise a concern about a doctor, physician associate (PA) or anaesthesia associate (AA). This includes members of the public, patients, family members, guardians, next of kin, employers, as well as other health and care professionals. You can raise a concern about your own care, or on behalf of someone else.
Is your concern something we can investigate?
We take every concern raised about a doctor, PA or AA seriously. We will investigate concerns when they raise concerns about a current and ongoing risk to public protection.
We can usually only investigate concerns about:
- serious or repeated mistakes in patient care
- abuse of professional position, for example, an improper sexual relationship with a patient
- violence, indecency or sexual assault
- a serious criminal offence
- discrimination against patients, colleagues or others
- fraud or dishonesty
- if a doctor, PA or AA’s health affects their practice or conduct
- serious concerns about a doctor, PA or AA’s ability to communicate in English.
Some of the things we don’t investigate include:
- minor clinical errors
- rudeness
- disagreements over a diagnosis and medical reports
- concerns about other healthcare professionals
- waiting lists and access to appointments
- upkeep and condition of hospitals and practices.
Examples of things we can’t help with include:
- providing an explanation of your treatment
- fining a doctor, PA or AA
- making a doctor, PA or AA apologise
- changing the outcome of a local investigation
- making a doctor, PA or AA give you a different treatment.
Is there a time limit for raising a concern?
There is no time limit for raising a concern. However, it’s a good idea to raise your concern as soon as possible after the incident.
If your concern is about a doctor, and the incident happened more than five years ago, we’ll ask you to let us know why you couldn’t raise your concern earlier, to help us decide whether we can investigate.
Who can help with your concern if we can’t?
Often, the best place to start is by talking to the people who were involved with your care or treatment, if you feel comfortable to do so. The hospital, GP practice or clinic where you received care will have its own complaints procedures.
If this doesn’t help or if you don’t want to raise your concern in this way, there are organisations who can help you.
Find out more about who to contact on our local help pages.
Every family should get maternity care that is safe and compassionate. But we know that hasn’t always happened. Some families have had very difficult experiences that changed their lives.
Further support
We’re one of a number of organisations responsible for keeping patients safe in the UK. Find out who can help you if your concern is something we can’t investigate.
There are several ways that you can get in touch with us to raise a concern. We would encourage you to choose the way you feel most comfortable.
We understand that raising a concern can be difficult, but you should feel confident in the way we treat all concerns raised with us. Find out what you can expect from us.
